Saturday, December 8, 2018

Last Minute Gift Blog Hop - Guest Post : Natalie Crabtree

Hello to all the quilters, fabric admirers and color
enthusiasts reading this blog! I am Natalie Crabtree, quilt designer based in
Cincinnati, OH. I am pleased to take part in this fun Michael Miller Holiday
Blog Hop. I do hope you enjoy making these fun projects.

I adore the Christmas season. The hustle, bustle and holiday
cheer is something that I have always thrived on! However, the holidays are
often so busy it might be difficult to find time to sit down and sew! Running
from store to store, cooking, baking and decorating! Easy to create, quick
projects are wonderful for this time of year.

For my Last Minute Gift ideas, I wanted to focus on projects
that didn’t require a pattern and that could easily be done in a day or less.
It was also important for me to provide projects that were enjoyable and easy
to create! What a joy it is to sit down at the sewing machine, listen to
Christmas tunes and sew handmade gifts for family and friends.

For these projects I used Michael Miller’s Cotton Couture
Solids, Fairy Frost and Rustique Winter.

The first project I focused on was a Woven Fabric Table
runner. This project would be a wonderful gift for the host or hostess at holiday
parties, or a lovely addition to your own dining table. This project requires sewing
but includes a nontraditional fabric weaving method. It’s fun to change it up
from time to time!

This table runner design is versatile. You can add borders
and intricate quilting for a more involved project, or you can bind the woven
table runner and have a completed project. The choice is yours.

1

1. Start by cutting at least (20) 3” x WOF strips from
various fabrics. Do not remove selvages. The sturdy selvages will help you in
later steps. Use as many fabrics as you can, the scrappier the better with this
project!

2.Use the 3” strips to sew tubes by folding the
strip over on itself. The wrong side of fabric will be facing you. Sew all 3”
strips into tubes.

3. Press all seams open on the tubes so that the
tube will lay flat.

4. Use a safety pin to flip the tube right side
out. Sort of like putting a sweatshirt string back into a sweatshirt! This is
where the selvages come in handy! Pin the safety pin to the selvage and pull
the tube right side out. Pinning to the selvage allows you to pull the fabric
through without worrying about tearing or stretching.

5. Press tubes flat. Make sure that your seam is
running down the middle of one side of your tube.

7. This is where the fun begins! Using pins and a
flat surface that you can pin things to (foam
board, carpet, or in my case an ottoman!), pin the ends of 10 WOF tubes
down so that the tubes are touching each other. We do not want space between
each tube.

8.Begin
weaving the shorter tubes alternating the weaving as you go. Make sure to pull
the tubes taunt and weave very close together as you don’t want any room in
between each tube.

9.Pin tubes in place as you go to keep them
straight. Use basting glue or school glue to hold tubes in place. This will
become important when you lift the table runner from the flat surface.

10.Continue until you have reached the length of
table runner you wish to create. Let the basting glue dry before lifting the
table runner. Don’t be nervous if the
table runner’s edges look uneven! We will trim in later steps.

11.After the glue has dried, lift the table runner
and trim the edges.

12.Once you have reached this step, you have
options.

a.If you are low on time, you can bind the table
runner and the project will be complete! The basting glue and tight woven
fabrics will stay in place.

b.You can quilt the table runner as desired and
bind. (This is the option I choose, see
photos below)

c.You can add borders, quilt and bind!

This project was such a joy to make, and a fun change of
pace! I hope that you enjoy it too!

******Giveaway Alert!******

Be sure to comment on the post below to enter for a chance to win a FQ bundle from us at Michael Miller Fabrics!

19 comments:

I have heard about weaving fabric before, but haven't seen any photos. Your table runner is a perfect way to use this technique and I love the look! I also enjoy sewing when the method is a bit different than my usual routine, especially when it turns out so well! I need to make one like yours...thanks so much!

What a great and festive collection of fabrics! Weaving fabric is something I have thought about and now I have the courage to give it a try. Thanks for the give-a-way and all the best for a great holiday season. Katie